As the pandemic unfolds around Aerial Dance, I can’t help but be beyond grateful for my staff. Since March they have rolled with whatever I’ve asked. Make a space to teach at home; sure. Come in early to sanitize; sure. Stay late to wash fabrics; sure. Drown yourself in alcohol (the spray kind!) before and after spotting; sure. They haven’t fought me on anything I’ve asked of them. Even if they don’t agree with what I’m asking, they do it. And I’m beyond grateful.
But there is a whole other gratitude that needs to be expressed. They are choosing to live their lives carefully so that they keep our community safe. They have avoided large crowds or social gathering to keep our sisterhood covid free. I didn’t directly ask this, because how can I, as an employer, say “please put the continued running of my company above anything else you wanted to do…” But they have without my asking. They have made the choice to keep our community safe and our studios open again and again through personal sacrifices.
And if that wasn’t enough, they also are over cautious if there is even a tiny chance of exposure. You may not notice on the schedule, but we move around instructors often right now if something comes up. The whole team is taking any possible exposure serious and arranging their own subs. They don’t want to be “zero instructor” who brings anything to our community so if there is even a chance that they could have exposure they instead take themselves off the schedule until the potential has been erased. This is a big deal because for my staff, who are hourly employees, because that means they are CHOOSING to not get paid by taking themselves off the schedule in favor of keeping everyone healthy. Again and again they are choosing the saftey of our community as a whole over their own personal interests. And I just feel that every one of our students needs to know that this is happening behind the scenes and appreciate these amazing women even more. I know I do.